NCO/Officer's School

NCO & Officer's School

Overview

The purpose of this School is to detail the duties and skills required for each rank required in the running of a Civil War era company. It is intended as a resource for all military members of the 26^th - to be used as reference, guide, and to generate questions that can be answered or further researched at events. Ideally we will set time aside at each event to hold mini-NCO/Officer Schools and to discuss the finer points of drill. This will be a work in progress for some time to come.

Responsibilities

Rank in both the 26^th and the Mifflin Guard is a position of responsibility. You must show a willingness to learn the impression, and demonstrate leadership. You must be willing to attend events when possible, accept the duties of the position and be willing to perform them in the field. Lastly rank is given by the unit membership; remember this is a hobby and that all authority is tacit and the idea is for everyone to have fun.

The responsibilities for each rank can be considered like building blocks. The skills of each rank build upon the previous one. Therefore, each rank is responsible for knowing and teaching the duties of the rank below, as well as performing the extra requirements, duties, and skills of the rank held. In addition, persons holding rank should be looking at the duties of the rank above so they can perform those duties when called upon. Thus a Corporal needs to be able to teach the skills of a Private and be prepared to step up as a Sergreant.

Colonel Washburn goes onto to synopsize the responsibilities of each rank as follows:

"Sergeants and Corporals, being in closest contact with the rank and file, must deal with the men on a personal level. Squad drill, camp cleanliness, guard and fatigue details, as well as the duties of file closer are their responsibilities. They must see that their company is running smoothly when their captain takes command. The company officers should not have to distract themselves with the many small details to run the company. This is the NCOs job.

Company Officers must be free to maneuver their companies and pay the closest attention to the field officers. Company officers must oversee all the activities of their NCOs in company will be expected to command various details at times. Their main responsibility, however, is to be totally familiar with company and battalion drill and to train their men in the skills they need to function as part of the battalion.

Field and Staff have the ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of the battalion. Although they are dependent upon the efforts of the NCOs and line officers, the field and staff must assure that all the elements come together to form a smoothly running machine. In camp, the Adjutant, Officer of the Day, Sergeant Major and Quarter Master Sergeant must coordinate all activities and deal with the problems that arise. On the drill field and in battle the field officers must be as completely familiar with the methods of controlling the battalion as a pilot is with his airplane. The tactics of Civil War era centralize tremendous authority and responsibility into the hands of a few men."¹

The Corporal

August Kautz in The Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers describes the Corporal as below. Further reading on the Corporal as described by Kautz can be found here.

"CS 316. The duties of a corporal are simple, and depend for their successful performance mainly upon his capacity to control and direct soldiers in the performance of their duty. They take charge of the smaller details for fatigue and police duty in camp and garrison duty: their most important duty is that of Corporal of the Guard. They frequently succeed to the responsibilities of sergeant in his absence, and should therefore be familiar with his duties.
CS 323. Corporals should be living examples for the soldiers in the neatness and cleanliness of their clothing, arms, and accoutrements. They should be the first to fall into ranks at roll-calls, and should have their tents or bunks, wherever their quarters, always systematically in order.
CS 324. They should be familiar with the "School of the Soldier," and capable of instruction the recruits in the elementary principles of tactics.
CS 325. In the field, where it is sometimes difficult to cook for the entire company, it is divided into messes and the non-commissioned officers placed in charge of the different messes pro rata. They are held responsible for the conduct of the mess-mates in the keeping of their tents and the care of the camp and garrison equipage in their charge."²
Each Corporal should have a book in which he can take down the names of the men in his fatigue, and take notes on orders from the 1st Sergeant. This requirement is a must for every NCO.

Drill Responsibilities

The 26^th and the Mifflin Guard uses Infantry Tactics, for the Instruction, Exercise, and Maneuvers of the Soldier, a Company, Line of Skirmishers, Battalion, Brigade, or Corps D'Armee by Silas Casey (hereto referred as "Casey's") for all drill. Casey's is literally written as a School of Instruction, taking the reader from one maneuver through another. Careful attention must be made when using Casey's to know what position you are in when performing the intended maneuver. In other words Casey's describes many positions of Shoulder Arms however there is a huge difference in the maneuver when coming to the Shoulder from the Right Shoulder Shift position vs the Support Arms position. Keep this in mind when you read Casey's and it will help you from being lost and confused.

Each Corporal should be able to perform and teach the following maneuvers

Manual of Arms

Position of the Soldier³ Parade Rest³ Attention (Order Arms)³

In-Place Rest³ Shoulder Arms³ Right Shoulder Shift³

Support Arms (Rest)³ Present Arms³ Inspection Arms (Spring Rammers)³

Ground (Raise) Arms³ Arms at Will³ Secure Arms³

Fix (Unfix) Bayonets³ Charge Bayonets³ Stack (Take) Arms³

Reverse Arms⁴ Rest on Arms Rifle Salute

Trail Arms³ Arms Port

Facings

Right (Left) Face About Face Oblique Facings

Marching

Forward March Backwards March At the Double Quick March Mark Time March

Firing / Safety

Load in Nine Count³ Use of Ramrod
(When to use/not to use) Firing Positions (Front/Rear Ranks)³

Fire by Company Fire by File Firing by the Left/Right Oblique

Safety Care/Cleaning of the Musket Ammunition
(65 Grains .58/75 Grains .69)

Guard Duty²

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The following abbreviations are used:

SS Stands for Casey's School of the, Soldier
SC Stands for Casey's School of the Company
CS Stands for Kautz's Customs of Service
US Stands for US Army Regulations of 1861

Sources

1. Washburn, Scott; Mifflin Guard NCO/Officers School 2002; pg. 1
2. Kautz, August V.; The Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers; 1864
3. Casey, Silas ; Infantry Tactics, for the Instruction, Exercise, and Maneuvers of the Soldier, a Company, Line of Skirmishers, Battalion, Brigade, or Corps D'Armee; 1862
4. US War Department; Revised United States Army Regulations of 1861; 1861

Position of the Soldier³	Parade Rest³	Attention (Order Arms)³
In-Place Rest³	Shoulder Arms³	Right Shoulder Shift³
Support Arms (Rest)³	Present Arms³	Inspection Arms (Spring Rammers)³
Ground (Raise) Arms³	Arms at Will³	Secure Arms³
Fix (Unfix) Bayonets³	Charge Bayonets³	Stack (Take) Arms³
Reverse Arms⁴	Rest on Arms	Rifle Salute
Trail Arms³	Arms Port

Load in Nine Count³	Use of Ramrod (When to use/not to use)	Firing Positions (Front/Rear Ranks)³
Fire by Company	Fire by File	Firing by the Left/Right Oblique
Safety	Care/Cleaning of the Musket	Ammunition (65 Grains .58/75 Grains .69)